Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, November 24, 2020

PPC membership registration OPEN for all tiers!!

Registration is now open for all membership tiers of the Power Play Club for the 2020-2021 season. We have simplified things with a single basic membership tier. A donation of $50 of more to the Power Play Club Fund at the University of Minnesota Foundation will enroll your household into the club for the season. If you have already enrolled as a Locker Sponsor for 2020-2021, you do not need to register again.

To make your donation online, go to the Power Play Club Fund web page here. If you prefer to submit your donation by check, you can download the registration form here, fill it out, and mail it and your check to Laura Halldorson at the address listed on the form.

Locker Sponsorships still available!! We are always looking for additional Locker Sponsors to support the Gopher Women's Hockey program. With a donation of $600 or more, Locker Sponsors are recognized with their name(s) listed on the locker of their designated player or coach. If you are interested in being a Locker Sponsor, do not use the links above, but instead please contact Susan "Rennie" McPherson at susanmcp@drsusanmcp.com.
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Revisiting Give to the Max Day – Again, our thanks to all of our generous donors who contributed to Give to the Max Day last Thursday, November 19. We received a couple of late – but still very welcomed – donations, bringing our collected total to $14,175 ! With the initial $10K combined gift from four anonymous donors and their secondary pledge of another $10K, the overall total raised for the Gopher Women's Hockey program was $34,175 !
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#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers at #6 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Friday, November 27 at 6:07 p.m.
Saturday, November 28 at 3:07 p.m.
AMSOIL Arena, Duluth

Following a split in its season-opening series, the Gopher Women's Hockey team hits the road for the first time in 2020-2021, heading to the North Shore for a rivalry matchup against the UMD Bulldogs at AMSOIL Arena. The action begins Friday, Nov. 27 at 6:07 p.m. and continues Saturday, Nov. 28 at 3:07 p.m.

Streaming on FloHockey – Minnesota Duluth home games, along with games hosted at Bemidji State, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State, are being streamed this season by FloHockey, the primary carrier of WCHA Women's Hockey. Subscription and schedule information can be found at FloSports.tv.

Last year against Minnesota Duluth – The Gophers went 2-1-1 against Bulldogs last season, though UMD earned the extra point in the WCHA standings after the 2-2 tie in the first game in Duluth. Minnesota responded with a 4-3 victory in the next day's rematch. At Ridder Arena, the teams traded shutouts, with the Gophers winning 5-0 on January 31 and the Bulldogs returning the favor, 2-0, on February 1.

Amy Potomak, Alex Woken, and Emily Oden led Minnesota with four points apiece against UMD. Potomak's points all came in the game on January 31, recording a first-period natural hat trick and adding a later assist. Woken posted 2 goals and 2 assists in the season series, while Oden dished out four helpers. Catie Skaja also lit the lamp twice, with both goals coming in the Gophers' win in Duluth. Sydney Scobee made 104 saves, posting a .937 save percentage and 1.72 goals-against average in the four contests. Gabbie Hughes, Sydney Brodt, and Maggie Flaherty were the only three Bulldogs to record multiple points against Minnesota; Hughes led the way with five points on a goal and 4 assists, while Brodt (3g, 1a) and Flaherty (4a) each tallied four points. Maddie Rooney made 135 saves with a .925 SV% and 2.72 GAA.

Analyzing the Bulldogs – Minnesota Duluth finished fourth in the WCHA regular-season standings for the third-straight year and saw their season end in the conference semifinals, falling to Wisconsin. They finished with an 18-12-6 overall mark and an 11-8-5-3 record in conference play. They enter the series against the Gophers after sweeping Minnesota State on the road this past weekend.

Gabbie Hughes (#17) enters her junior season after leading the team in all three scoring categories in 2019-2020, lighting the lamp 20 times and adding 31 assists for 51 points. Senior defender Ashton Bell (#26) was named to the Preseason All-WCHA Team after tallying 32 points on 11 goals and 21 assists last year. Senior Anna Klein (#19) netted 13 goals while dishing out 14 assists for 27 points last season. U.S. Women's Under-18 Team members Katie Davis (#11) and Clara Van Wieren (#25) join the squad this year as freshmen.

Goaltending is a bit of an unknown for Minnesota Duluth following the graduation of Olympian Maddie Rooney. Swedish junior Emma Söderberg (#30) returns as the only Bulldog netminder having seen action entering this season, but only in a limited amount; she is 4-1-0 in five career starts with 4 other relief appearances, posting a .928 save percentage and 1.80 goals-against average. Senior Hanna Markel (#1) has served only as an emergency backup the past three seasons, and Chicago native Jojo Chobak (#31) joins the team as a freshman.

Last weekend for Minnesota Duluth Due to COVID-19 testing protocols, the Bulldogs are the only team to face opposition from both Big Ten and Northern Sun schools to begin the season. They started on the road at Minnesota State, earning the weekend sweep with 5-0 and 7-3 victories over the Mavericks. Ashton Bell led UMD in total scoring in the series with a goal and 4 assists, Anna Klein tallied 3 goals and an assist, Anneke Linser netted two goals with two assists, and Kylie Hanley & Clara Van Wieren each added two goals and an assist. Emma Söderberg earned both wins between the pipes, recording her first career shutout on Friday and making a combined 44 saves. Madison Oelkers led Minnesota State with a goal an an assist in Saturday's contest.
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Gophers split opening weekend with Ohio State

Grace Zumwinkle scores the opening goal of Sunday's game against the Buckeyes. (Photo by Susan "Rennie" McPherson)

Despite getting a combined 69 saves from Lauren Bench on 71 shots in her first two games as a Gopher and the team taking 1-0 leads in both contests, Minnesota settled for a series split against Ohio State to open the 2020-2021 season, winning 4-0 in game one but falling 2-1 in game two. Bench was the story of the opener as it was also her birthday; she stopped all 36 shots she faced for the shutout. Grace Zumwinkle lit the lamp on the first shift of the season just 28 seconds into the contest, a new team record for earliest goal to start a season. Josey Dunne recorded her first goal for the Maroon & Gold in the second period, Zumwinkle netted her second of the game with under 5 minutes to play, and Taylor Wente scored a long empty-netter. In the rematch, Zumwinkle buried her third goal of the weekend to put Minnesota up three minutes into the game, but Liz Schepers knotted the score for the Buckeyes just 21 seconds later, Tatum Skaggs gave OSU the lead six minutes after that, and goaltender Andrea Brändli shut the Gophers down for the duration. In the series, Anne Cherkowski also recorded her first points as a Gopher with a pair of assists, and Madeline Wethington also dished out two assists. Emma Maltais assisted on both OSU goals, and Brändli recorded a combined 39 saves over the weekend.
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Around NCAA Division I women's hockey...

Upcoming WCHA games – Two other series also feature Friday evening and Saturday afternoon games. Wisconsin gets its season underway with a road trip to Columbus to face Ohio State, while St. Cloud State hosts Minnesota State. Bemidji State is idle.

Other notable news – With their tight geographical footprint, Hockey East teams have gone through a series of schedule adjustments in just the past 7 days; the latest change now pits Boston College against Providence in a home-and-home series this weekend (instead of B.C. vs. Vermont and Providence vs. Northeastern). Meanwhile, College Hockey America announced its first half league schedule, with 16 games in total; following Lindenwood at Penn State & RIT at Syracuse this weekend, the six CHA teams will then be paired up to play four consecutive games – two at home and two on the road – against the same opponent over the first two weekends of December.
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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.


The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday November 20, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minute Minor
November 20, 2020

THANK YOU!! Give to the Max Day goal exceeded by over 25%!!

We send a very gracious THANK YOU to all the Gopher Women's Hockey supporters who contributed to our Give to the Max Day campaign yesterday. As of 11:00 p.m. last night, combined donations of $12,675 had been collected, exceeding our $10K goal for the day by over 25 percent. Adding in the initial $10K pledge from a quartet of anonymous donors and their second pledge to contribute another $10K if we met our goal yesterday, Minnesota Women's Hockey will receive $32,675!!

We again send additional thanks to the staff at the Golden Gopher Fund for partnering with the Power Play Club in this effort.
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Golden Gopher Fund debuts Pledge Per Goal program

As previously announced, the PPC Board of Directors made the decision to not run the “Goals for a Goal” program in 2020-2021 due to the amount of uncertainty surrounding the season.

However, the Golden Gopher Fund is debuting a similar Pledge Per Goal program this year. Initially planned for Gopher Men's Hockey, the program has been extended to also include Gopher Women's Hockey, giving registrants the opportunity to choose between the teams. Donations will be directed to the U. of M. Athletic Department's general scholarship fund. If you are interested, more information and the registration form are available at z.umn.edu/PledgePerGoal.
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WCHA announces streaming partnerships for 2020-2021 season

Following its previous announcement that the Big Ten Network would be covering women's hockey home games for Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio State on its BTN+ streaming service, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association shared yesterday that FloHockey would be “the primary carrier for the WCHA Women's League and will stream all games played at Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.” This includes the Gophers' series at UMD next weekend, November 27 & 28.

Subscription and schedule information for FloHockey can be found at FloHockey.tv, while subscription and schedule information for BTN+ can be found at btnplus.com.
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Media Guide & replay of Media Day – The 2020-2021 WCHA Women's League Media Guide is available online on WCHA.com, with the option to download the entire guide or specific sections as PDF files. Meanwhile, this past Tuesday (Nov. 17) was the conference's media day; you can catch a replay of the statements from Commissioner Jennifer Flowers and all seven WCHA head coaches on YouTube here.
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Ivy League schools, Union College cancel seasons;
RIT ‘reconsiders’ previously-announced cancellation

Catching up on some of the news from around Division I women's ice hockey – including one announcement from last week that we missed in our Penalty Box Post this past Tuesday...


IIHF cancels lower tier tournaments in multiple categories – In addition to the announcements across NCAA Division I, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Council made the unanimous decision Wednesday (Nov. 18) to initiate another series of tournament cancellations for the 2020-2021 season. “With the exception of the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship and the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship, all 2020/21 tournaments in the lower division men’s senior, women’s senior, and men’s U18 categories have been cancelled.” This latest decision wipes out 18 tournaments in total.

We will continue to monitor the news for any further announcements. Our thanks to the staff at U.S. College Hockey Online for the NCAA-related articles.
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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.


Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Give to the Max Day – this Thursday, November 19!!
Help us reach $30,000 in total contributions!!

The Power Play Club is excited about the chance to support Gopher Women’s Hockey on Give to the Max Day. Four donors have already pledged a combined $10,000. If we raise an additional $10,000 by end of the day on Thursday (November 19), those donors will match their gifts… for a total of $30,000!

As with past years, Give to the Max Day donations to U. of M. Athletics in support of this initiative will receive DOUBLE (x2) GOPHER SCORE POINTS! Your Gopher Score Points provide you with a priority ranking which is utilized for:

  • Season Ticket Upgrades & Post-Season Ticket Allocation (NCAA Tournament)

  • Gopher Loyalty Program Selection Date/Number of Selections

  • Season Parking for Gopher Sports

  • Early Access to On-Sales for Single Game Tickets


We hope all GWH fans will participate at whatever level they can. All gifts are appreciated, and are now being accepted at the Gopher Women’s Hockey Give to the Max Day Campaign page.
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Season opener!!

#4 Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. #5 Ohio State Buckeyes
Saturday, November 21 at 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 22 at 2:00 p.m.
Ridder Arena

The Gopher Women's Hockey team starts its 24th season in program history with a matchup against the team they were scheduled to face in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament last March: the Ohio State Buckeyes. Action begins Saturday, November 21, at 3:00 p.m., and continues Sunday, November 22, at 2:00 p.m., with both games at Ridder Arena.

Streaming on BTN+ – This weekend's two games against Ohio State and the home series against Wisconsin on December 4 & 5 will be streamed online via BTN+. The Big Ten Network offers a variety of BTN+ subscription packages by conference, school, or sport, available here.

Last year against Ohio State – The Gophers and Buckeyes split their four-game regular-season series in 2019-2020. OSU won the opener in Columbus in October, 4-3, but Minnesota responded with a 4-2 victory the next day. In January in Minneapolis, the Buckeyes took the first game 4-1 at Ridder Arena, but the Gophers won outside on Hockey Day Minnesota, 2-1. Meeting up again in the WCHA Final Faceoff semifinals, Minnesota took 2-0 and 3-2 leads, but Ohio State responded to force overtime and advanced to the championship game, winning 4-3 when Tatum Skaggs lit the lamp 4:56 into the extra session.

A quartet of Gophers each recorded four points in the five contests against the Buckeyes; Grace Zumwinkle and Amy Potomak lit the lamp 4 times apiece, Taylor Heise netted 3 goals with an assist, and Emily Brown dished out four assists. On the Ohio State side, four players each tallied 5+ points against Minnesota; Emma Maltais led the way with a goal and 5 assists, Liz Schepers lit the lamp 3 times with 2 assists, and Skaggs & Sophie Jaques each added two goals and three assists. Additonally, Jenn Gardiner and Gabby Rosenthal also lit the lamp 3 times apiece for OSU. In net, Sydney Scobee made 127 saves with a 3.17 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage, Makayla Pahl made 8 saves in 18 minutes of action in mop-up duty in Janaury's loss at Ridder, while Buckeyes goalkeeper Andrea Brändli stopped 149 shots (38 in the WCHA semifinal) with a 2.58 GAA and .920 SV%.

Analyzing the Buckeyes – Ohio State enters the 2020-2021 season as the defending WCHA Final Faceoff champion, having defeated Wisconsin 1-0 in overtime in the title contest. They were third in the league standings, posting a 13-6-5-2 conference record and a 20-8-6 overall mark in the regular season.

OSU also comes in with much experience, losing only one of its top 11 scorers from last season to graduation. The team's leading trio in 2019-2020 returns as seniors; Emma Maltais (#17) posted a whopping 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists), Liz Schepers (#21) led the squad with 22 goals while dishing out 21 assists for 43 points, and Tatum Skaggs (#11) added 42 points (17g, 25a). Junior defender Sophie Jaques (#18) also surpassed the 20-point mark last season, tallying 9 goals and 15 assists.

The Buckeyes also retained all three goaltenders from last year's squad. Junior Andrea Brändli (#20) started 31 of the team's 38 games in 2019-2020, posting a 20-5-5 record (with one no-decision), 4 shutouts, a 1.89 goals-against average, and a .928 save percentage. Senior Lynsey Wallace (#30) was the primary backup for Ohio State, posting a 4-3-1 record in 10 total appearances, with a 2.35 GAA, and a .906 save percentage. Sophomore Quinn Kuntz (#35) stopped 6 of the 8 shots she faced in 18 minutes of game action as a freshman. The Buckeyes also added 2020 U.S. Women's U-18 National Team goaltender Amanda Thiele (#32).

Analyzing the Gophers – Minnesota again looks to improve over last season's finish, claiming second in the WCHA regular-season standings before their conference playoff semifinal loss. Meanwhile, the team's roster of skaters (forwards & defense) has expanded back to 20 players as seven freshmen join the Maroon and Gold.

After placing fourth among Division I teams with a 3.89 goals-per-game average in 2019-2020, the Gophers lost two of their top-5 scorers to graduation. That said, the team returns 70% of its goal production and 73% of its total points from last season. Senior Grace Zumwinkle returns as last season's top goal scorer (25) and second on the squad in total points (45). Juniors Taylor Heise & Amy Potomak both improved on their freshman point totals in their sophomore seasons; Heise tallied 43 points (18g, 25a), while Potomak recorded 36 points (18g, 18a).

Minnesota allowed 1.69 goals per game to opponents last season, a slight improvement over the previous season, placing them fifth-best in Division I but at the top among WCHA squads. Graduate transfer Lauren Bench joins the Gophers for her redshirt senior season after three years as the primary goaltender for Bemidji State, posting a career 2.45 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. Sophomore Makayla Paul saw only limited playing time last year but stopped 23 of the 24 shots she faced in 47 minutes of game action over three relief appearances. Sophomore Olivia King returns as the team's third netminder.

As previously mentioned, 7 other new players join Bench on the Gopher roster this year. Three members of the 2020 U.S. Women's U-18 National Team – Abbey Murphy (Evergreen Park, IL; Chicago Mission), Maggie Nicholson (Minnetonka; Minnetonka H.S.), and Audrey Wethington (Edina; Blake School) – join the Gophers, as does Canada Women's U-18 National Team member Anne Cherkowski (Coldstream, BC; Pursuit of Excellence). The team also added 2020 Minnesota Class AA All-Tournament Team member Tella Jungels (Edina; Edina H.S.), Minnesota Ms. Hockey award semifinalist Addie Burton (Orono; Blake School), and Chicago Mission defensive standout Josey Dunne (O’Fallon, MO).

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Murphy, Brown earn preseason conference honors;
Gophers take second spot in WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll

The WCHA announced its preseason honors yesterday, with Minnesota Women's Hockey freshman Abbey Murphy selected as Preseason Rookie of the Year, earning four of the seven votes from the conference coaches. Fellow Gopher newcomer Anne Cherkowski also received a vote, as did St. Cloud State's Emma Gentry and Wisconsin's Casey O'Brien.

Senior Gopher captain Emily Brown was named to the Preseason All-WCHA Team, and was joined by Wisconsin's Daryl Watts & Sophie Shirley, Ohio State's Emma Maltais & Andrea Brändli, and Minnesota-Duluth's Ashton Bell. Fellow Gopher seniors Olivia Knowles and Grace Zumwinkle were among other players receiving votes.

Watts was named WCHA Preseason Player of the Year, with 3 votes. Maltais was second with 2 votes, while Zumwinkle and UMD's Gabbie Hughes earned one vote apiece.

In the Preseason Coaches Poll, Minnesota slotted into the #2 spot, earning 31 voting points and 3 first-place votes. Wisconsin took the top spot with 34 points and 4 first-place votes. Ohio State was picked third with 28 points, followed by Minnesota Duluth (21 points), Bemidji State (14), Minnesota State (13), and St. Cloud State (6).
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Gophers selected 4th in national polls – After earning the 4th seed for the 2020 NCAA Tournament (which was subsequently cancelled), Minnesota retained that ranking in both this year's Preseason USCHO.com Division I Poll (receiving 109 voting points) and Preseason USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine College Hockey Poll (140 points; 1 first-place vote). Both polls were also in agreement with the other positions in the top five, as Wisconsin, Cornell, and Northeastern earned the top three spots (in that order) and Ohio State was picked 5th. Clarkson was 6th in the USCHO poll and 7th in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, while Princeton had just the opposite rankings. Minnesota-Duluth followed as the last nationally-ranked WCHA team, in 8th in both polls.
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Other news around NCAA Division I...

COVID-19 impacts St. Cloud State, Vermont, Rensselaer, Beanpot tourneys – Per a press release this past Sunday from the WCHA, St. Cloud State University has put a pause on all women's ice hockey activities following multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the program, causing the postponement of their season-opening home series against Bemidji State this coming weekend; no make-up dates have been set at this time. The men's and women's hockey & basketball teams at the University of Vermont have all seen their start of competition pushed back to December 18 after consultation with their state's Department of Health; the delayed start causes the postponement of at least three series for the Catamounts women's hockey team. Meanwhile, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced the full cancellation of their men's & women's hockey seasons due to the pandemic, and the annual men's and women's Beanpot tournaments were also cancelled.

Upcoming WCHA games – With the SCSU-BSU contests postponed, only one other WCHA series remains on the calendar this weekend. Minnesota Duluth starts on the road against Minnesota State, playing on Friday and Saturday. Top-ranked Wisconsin is idle and scheduled to open its season next weekend.

Hockey East gets underway – Hockey East is also opening its action with six of its ten teams scheduled for Friday & Saturday games this week. Holy Cross hosts Maine, while Boston College faces New Hampshire and Providence plays Merrimack in a pair of home-and-home series. UConn will start next weekend after the postponement of their home series against Vermont; Northeastern also opens its season next weekend, while Boston University starts play on December 4.
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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Penalty Box Post - Friday, November 13, 2020

Penalty Box Post
Friday, November 13, 2020

Start times, online streaming partner announced for first four Gopher Women's Hockey home games

The University of Minnesota announced start times for the Gopher Women's Hockey Team's first four home games of the 2020-2021 season, all featuring WCHA league play:

  • Sat., Nov. 21 vs. Ohio State – 3:00 p.m.

  • Sun., Nov. 22 vs. Ohio State – 2:00 p.m.

  • Fri., Dec. 4 vs. Wisconsin – 6:00 p.m.

  • Sat., Dec. 5 vs. Wisconsin – 4:00 p.m.

The four home games will be streamed online via BTN+. The Big Ten Network offers a variety of BTN+ subscription packages by conference, school, or sport, available here.

As noted in the University's release, “Game times and broadcast information for Minnesota's scheduled road games, as well as the remainder of the 2020-21 WCHA schedule and the format for the 2021 WCHA Final Faceoff, will be announced at a later date.”

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Give to the Max Day is next Thursday, November 19!! Donation page now open for early contributions!!

Last week, Coach Brad Frost announced big news: Four donors have pledged a combined $10,000. If we raise an additional $10,000 on Give to the Max Day, those donors will match their gifts… for a total of $30,000!

The Power Play Club is excited about the chance to support Gopher Women’s Hockey on Give to the Max Day. We hope all GWH fans will participate at whatever level they can. All gifts are appreciated!

The fundraising page is now live, so you can give your gift at any time between now and November 19, and it will count toward the goal:

Gopher Women’s Hockey Give to the Max Day Campaign

“I have supported GWH since Laura Halldorson was announced as the first GWH coach. The players, coaches and staff are best of the best. I invite you to support these amazing women as they pursue their dreams on the ice and in the classroom.”

– Julianne Bye

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Skylar Vetter named as first Gopher 2021-2022 freshman signee

Skylar Vetter, a goaltender for the Lakeville North (MN) H.S. boys hockey team and the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team, has been signed as the first member of the Gopher Women's Hockey team's 2021-2022 freshman class, as posted by the team on Wednesday (November 11) on Twitter and Facebook.

Vetter posted a 5-1-1-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record in eight combined appearances for Team USA in the 2019 & 2020 IIHF U-18 Women's World Championships, stopping 171 of 183 shots for a .934 save percentage and a 1.45 goals-against average. She was also 2-0-1 in five games in her junior year with the Lakeville North boys, posting a 1.27 GAA and .953 save pct.

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2020-2021 freshman Jungels earns academic recognition at U.

Though she has yet to see any game action as a member of the Gopher Women's Hockey team, 2020-2021 freshman forward Tella Jungels has already received academic recognition at the U. Jungels was named a Student-Athlete of the Month for October, as announced by the Lindahl Academic Center on Twitter this past Monday, November 9. Congratulations, Tella!!

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Monday, November 9, 2020

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Monday, November 9th

U. confirms no ticket sales to Gopher Women's Hockey home games, but offers fan cutout sales for Ridder Arena with November 13 deadline

Following last week's schedule release from the WCHA announcing a five-week sprint of games between November 20 and December 19, with each team playing 8 contests, the U. of M. confirmed that there will be no ticket sales for Gopher home games. The decision was made in order to follow Minnesota Department of Health guidelines specifying that indoor venues must reduce occupant capacity to no more than 250 patrons.

That said, Gopher Women's Hockey fans can still show their personal support for the team and be represented at the games against Ohio State (November 21 & 22) and Wisconsin (December 4 & 5). The University has opened up sales of Gopher Fan Cutouts to Ridder Arena. Cutouts can be purchased for $50 for general fans and $25 for U. of M. students. Photos must be submitted by this Friday, November 13, with only one individual per photo. Note also that all fan cutouts will be placed in designated locations at random on a first come, first served basis, and no special requests or seat selections will be accepted.

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Remember to save the date! Support GWH on Give to the Max Day – Thursday, November 19

We kindly provide another reminder to our fellow Gopher Women's Hockey fans that the Power Play Club's primary fundraiser supporting the team during the 2020-2021 season will take place on Give to the Max Day on Thursday, November 19.

As shared last week in the video from head coach Brad Frost, a quartet of anonymous donors has already committed $10,000 and will contribute another $10K if the PPC and other donors also raise $10K on Give to the Max Day, bringing the total to $30,000.

Watch for another email later this week with the link to the Give to the Max crowdfunding page and additional details. We will also be sharing that information on our website – www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Our thanks to the staff at the Golden Gopher Fund for partnering with the PPC in this effort.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.


Penalty Box Post - Friday, November 6, 2020

Penalty Box Post

Friday, November 6, 2020

WCHA releases first-half schedule for 2020-2021
Five-week, 8-games-per-team sprint runs November 20 through December 19

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association Women's League announced early this afternoon the schedule for its seven member teams for the first half of the 2020-2021 season. Each squad will play eight league games between November 20 and December 19 before breaking for the holidays. It was also noted that league play will resume as early as January 1, with the post-holiday schedule to be released in the coming weeks.

Additionally announced in the release, “WCHA officials and member institution administrators are finalizing Return to Competition protocols that will be implemented upon approval. The protocols, along with state, local and university safety guidelines, will be in force at all WCHA arenas throughout the 2020-21 season.”

The Golden Gopher Women's Hockey team will open its season on Saturday, November 21, hosting Ohio State. Minnesota will then travel to UMD and return home to host Wisconsin before wrapping up its pre-holiday games on the road against the Buckeyes. All game times are still TBA.

  • Minnesota vs. Ohio State – Saturday & Sunday, November 21 - 22

  • Minnesota at Minnesota Duluth – Friday & Saturday, November 27 - 28

  • Minnesota vs. Wisconsin – Friday & Saturday, December 4 - 5

  • Minnesota at Ohio State – Friday & Saturday, December 11 - 12


Per a letter from the University to GWH season ticket holders in late September, “Current guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health specify that (indoor) venues must reduce occupant capacity to no more than 250 patrons. With this reduction, we anticipate few or no spectators at home hockey games. Our staff is committed to working closely with government officials to monitor guidelines and adjust policies as needed.” We will continue to watch for additional news and changes, and pass them along.

The composite WCHA first-half schedule can be found here.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, October 30, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minute Minor

Friday, October 30, 2020

Ten Gopher alumnae assigned to PWHPA regional rosters for 2020-2021
Organization also announces $1 million contribution from Secret® Deodorant

The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) has finalized the rosters at each of its five locations – Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Minnesota & New Hampshire – with 10 Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae among the combined 125 players (25 per region).

Amanda Kessel and Gigi Marvin have been assigned to the New Hampshire region, and Sarah Potomak is in the Calgary region. The Minnesota region leads the way with seven Gopher alums: Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Kelly Pannek, Nicole Schammel, Sydney Scobee, Lee Stecklein, and Noora Räty. The full rosters for each region are available here.

The roster finalization accompanied the announcement on Tuesday, October 20, that Secret® Deodorant made a $1 million contribution to the PWHPA. As reported by ESPN, PWHPA Operations Consultant Jayna Hefford indicated that the contribution would be divided to cover operational costs (travel expenses, ice time, coaching, meals, etc.), cash prizes to players on the 2021 Secret® Dream Gap Tour, and media & marketing support to make sure the PWHPA stays visible. The $1 million is the largest corporate commitment ever made for professional women’s hockey in North America.

With Secret® back on board as the title sponsor, the PWHPA also shared that the Dream Gap Tour will feature six showcase events, with locations and dates to be announced. The upcoming version of the tour will be in a championship-style format between teams from the regional sites, with the aforementioned cash prizes and the awarding of the Secret® Cup to the winning squad.

We send congratulations to the 10 Gopher representatives on the PWHPA rosters, and will continue to follow any news from the organization regarding their showcase events.

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Remember to save the date!
Support GWH on Give to the Max Day – Thursday, November 19


And stay tuned for a big announcement next week!

“At its heart Gopher women’s hockey is fun hockey in a welcoming environment. I started attending their games to learn how the sport worked, and I became a season ticket holder because I enjoyed the games and the people so much. If you're interested in goal celebrations or Goldy, you get a lot of both at Ridder.”

– Cat Lenander
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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post Thursday, October 22, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minute Minor

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Eleven Gopher representatives invited to USA Hockey Evaluation Camp

Seven members of the current Minnesota Women's Hockey Team and four Gopher alumnae have been invited to USA Hockey's upcoming Women's National Team Evaluation Camp.  Emily Brown, Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy, Maggie Nicholson, Gracie Ostertag, Madeline Wethington, and Grace Zumwinkle will be joined at the camp by national team veterans Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, and Lee Stecklein as part of the 53 invitees named last Friday, October 16.  The camp will be held next week – October 25-31 – in nearby Blaine, MN, but “due to safety protocols, the camp will be closed to the public, including fans, scouts and media.”

The USA Hockey staff will also have some Gopher representatives.  Joel Johnson will be present as an assistant coach for the national team, and Gopher equipment manager Brent Proulx and strength & conditioning coach Cal Dietz are serving the U.S. team in those same capacities.

We send congratulations to all 11 Gopher players, and wish them good luck as they vie for spots on the national team!

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GWH alumna Brodt Brown re-signs with Whitecaps for 2020-2021

Collegiate national champion and 2019 NWHL Isobel Cup winner Winny Brodt Brown was named among a trio of players re-signing with the Minnesota Whitecaps for the 2020-2021 season, as announced this past Tuesday.  In her first two seasons in the league, including the playoffs, she has 6 assists.

Brodt Brown is the fourth Gopher alumna to join an NWHL roster for the upcoming season.  Her sister, Chelsey Rosenthal, agreed to terms with the Whitecaps at the end of September, and Amanda Leveille & Meghan Lorence re-signed with Minnesota earlier in the off-season.  (Image courtesy of the NWHL / MN Whitecaps)
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Bozek, Räty, KRS Vanke Rays sweep season-opening series – Following nearly two weeks of delays, the Shenzhen, China-based KRS Vanke Rays, including Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Megan Bozek and Noora Räty, opened the defense of their Russian Women's Hockey League championship with a two-game series sweep of MSMO 7.62 by scores of 8-1 and 10-1.  Bozek recorded 3 assists with a +6 plus-minus rating; Räty did not see any playing time.

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Fundraising letter follow-up – Give to the Max Day, November 19

As shared yesterday, the Power Play Club will again be participating in Give to the Max Day, an annual online campaign to raise money for Minnesota nonprofits and schools.  This year’s event is scheduled for Thursday, November 19, and it will be the main focus of the PPC’s fundraising efforts this season.

We thank Todd King, Bob Milligan and Sharon Danes for sharing their thoughts on why they support Gopher Women's Hockey.  We encountered some technical difficulty with the video from Bob and Sharon yesterday, but that is resolved and you can now find the video here.

We will be sending out additional information about Give to the Max Day, along with comments from more GWH supporters, in future emails and on our social media accounts.  If you haven’t already, be sure to follow the Power Play Club on Facebook and Twitter.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com.  You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Penalty Box Post - Monday, Oct. 15, 2020

Penalty Box Post

Monday, Oct 15, 2020

NCAA extends eligibility of all Division I winter sport athletes

Following two days of meetings by video conference, the NCAA Division I Council announced yesterday that “winter sport student-athletes who compete during 2020-21 in Division I will receive both an additional season of competition and an additional year in which to complete it.”

The decision provides the same flexibility to winter student-athletes as was granted to spring and fall season players after their seasons were seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Council also announced that “Division I schools will not be required to sponsor the minimum required number of sports for membership purposes, provided the school indicated on its Sports and Demographics Survey forms that it intended to sponsor the requisite number of sports but cannot due to COVID-19 challenges,” and “agreed to grant a blanket waiver for 2020-21 to allow conferences to earn an automatic bid in fall championships if a minimum of three member schools participated in conference competition in that sport.”

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Future NCAA championship site locations announced;
Gophers, Ridder Arena to host 2025 Women's Frozen Four

The NCAA also announced yesterday future site locations for championship events across multiple sports and divisions, with the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities named as host of the 2025 Women's National Collegiate Ice Hockey Frozen Four at Ridder Arena.  Ridder Arena last hosted the event in 2018.

Two upcoming Frozen Four locations had been previously named, with Mercyhurst University hosting in Erie, PA, in 2021, and Penn State University hosting in University Park, PA, in 2022.  Other host schools & cities announced yesterday include: Minnesota Duluth in 2023, the University of New Hampshire in Durham in 2024, and Penn State again in 2026.

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Bozek signs with KRS Vanke Rays for 2020-2021,
but new season starts with four postponed games

The Kunlun Red Star (KRS) Vanke Rays professional hockey team, based in Shenzhen, China, announced on social media on Tuesday, October 6 that Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Megan Bozek had signed with them for the 2020-2021 season.  Bozek was a member last year's team which won the Russian Women's Hockey League championship.  In 14 regular-season and five playoff games last season, Bozek recorded 9 goals and 11 assists, with a +29 plus-minus rating.  She joins fellow Gopher alumna Noora Räty, who is starting her fourth season with the KRS squad.  (Photo courtesy of KRS Vanke Rays.)

However, the new WHL season is getting off to an auspicious start for KRS.  Their first four scheduled games – October 7 & 8 against Biryusa, and October 13 & 14 against Tornado – were postponed after the those opposing teams each recorded multiple positive COVID-19 tests.  New dates are to be announced.  KRS will make a third attempt at opening its year this coming Sunday, October 18 when they face MSMO 7.62.

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National Women's Hockey League announces organizational changes

Sticking with the professional leagues, the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) announced this past Tuesday, October 13 that they are adopting a new governance model but also changing commissioners.

The league announced that, effective immediately, it will use the approach leveraged by the NHL, NFL, and MLB, taking the form of an unincorporated association with a Board of Governors representing each member club.

Meanwhile, Dani Rylan Kearney is stepping down as NWHL Commissioner.  Kearney will remain connected with the league, serving as President of the original ownership group overseeing operations and the process of establishing independent ownership of the group’s four teams (Buffalo, Connecticut, Metropolitan & Minnesota).  Tyler Tumminia has been appointed as Interim Commissioner; she most recently served as Chairman of the Toronto Six expansion team which launched in April.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com.  You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Sunday, October 4, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minute Minor

Sunday, October 4, 2020

GWH alumna Rosenthal re-signs with Whitecaps for 2020-2021

Two-time NCAA champion and 2019 NWHL Isobel Cup winner Chelsey (Brodt) Rosenthal has re-signed with the Minnesota Whitecaps for the 2020-2021 season, her third year with the club in the NWHL, as announced last Wednesday.  In her first two seasons in the league, including the playoffs, Rosenthal has 7 assists and a +7 plus-minus rating.

Rosenthal is the third Gopher alumna to join an NWHL roster for the upcoming season after Amanda Leveille and Meghan Lorence re-signed with Minnesota earlier this off-season.  (Photo courtesy of the NWHL / MN Whitecaps)

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Räty signs one-year extension with KRS Vanke Rays in China

Another two-time NCAA champion, Noora Räty, has signed an extension to remain with the KRS Vanke Rays in Shenzhen, China, for the 2020-2021 season, her fourth with the organization.  The signing was reported in her native Finland as occurring on September 3, and Räty announced her preparation for the upcoming season in an Instagram post yesterday.

The Vanke Rays are the defending Russian Women's Hockey League (WHL) champions, with Räty posting a 4-0 record and a 1.50 goals-against average in last season's playoffs, including a 4-2 victory in the title-clinching third game of the best-of-5 WHL championship series.  The team opens its new season this Wednesday, October 7, against Biryusia.

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Correction: 10 Gopher alumnae in the PWHPA for 2020-2021

Though we reported in our July 2 issue of the Penalty Box Post that Lee Stecklein and Kelly Pannek had signed with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) for 2020-2021 – the seventh and eighth Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae to do so at that time – we erroneously failed to list and count them when Amanda Kessel became the ninth Minnesota alumna to sign with the PWHPA in August, and again overlooked Stecklein when we reported that Nicole Schammel signed as the 10th Gopher in the organization last month.  We apologize for the oversight.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com.  You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.